


a series of flashbacks that taught us how to love

by sunflowerwithfeelings



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Domestic Fluff, Flashbacks, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Tony Stark Has A Heart, best friends are always right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 10:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11667087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflowerwithfeelings/pseuds/sunflowerwithfeelings
Summary: “Tony you have to tell him!” Something in Tony knew he was right, he just didn’t want to admit it. He was fine watching, more like intently gazing, from afar. “Look at you, you’re trying to distract yourself because you know he’s in the weight room right now. You’re all worked up and--listening to fucking Cyndi Lauper-”“Fuck off, she’s great.” Tony huffed. He heard Rhodey laugh on the other end.





	a series of flashbacks that taught us how to love

**Author's Note:**

> In which, I am Rhodey.

It was a late Thursday night. Tony and Steve sat snug on the couch, a blanket draped over their entangled bodies. The sun was already underneath the horizon line from the view from the large window that sat in front of them, the sky already a pretty fade of navy to yellow to blood red. Streaks of pink.

There was a movie playing on a wide-screened TV, both secretly not paying attention. If you asked Tony or Steve what the movie was about, they’d both just shrug and probably try to make a general assumption based on the five minutes they did happen to catch.

It wasn’t necessarily date night, that was Friday, but snuggling up together as a tranquil silence surrounded them was amazing every now and then.   

When the credits began to roll, the two started rambling on about nothing in particular till Steve brought up the topic of how they met and their relationship.

“Asking you out was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Tony’s chest huffed as he chuckled.

“It was practically me who asked for you!” Steve smiled. 

“No,” Tony dragged out the ‘o’. “I distinctly remember me being the one to ask you.”

“Yes, but you stood there forever choking on your own words, I thought I might need to call an ambulance.”

Tony rolled his eyes, “I can’t believe you. It took a lot for that to even happen!" 

“How so?” Steve asked, his eyes wandering up Tony’s face to the top of his scalp. 

“Did I never tell you?” Tony locked eyes with Steve and when he shook his head, Tony smiled.

 

**+**

 

Tony was in the garage, music streaming through the speakers overhead. He’d taken a break from his suits and had busied himself with an old motorcycle he was convinced he’d have the time for eventually. In all reality, he was getting nothing done. He was skyping Rhodey, the laptop propped up on the table where an assortment of tools lay.

“He’s just so _fucking_ perfect,” Tony grabbed a silver wrench from the table and dove back into the motorcycle’s guts.

“You should tell him then!” Rhodey said from the other end, doing nothing in particular himself. 

“That’s,” Tony paused and looked up from the greasy metal and steel. “That’s not a bad idea. But how?” He turned back to look at Rhodey on the screen.

“Isn’t his birthday coming up?” Rhodey asked.

Tony waved a hand at the screen and unknowingly wiped a grease mark onto his face. “No, if he rejects me I don’t want to ruin his party or anything. I’d end up drinking a year's worth of alcohol and probably make my situation even worse....actually now that I think about it, maybe I won’t tell him. Bad idea Rhodes.”

“Tony you have to tell him!” Something in Tony knew he was right, he just didn’t want to admit it. He was fine watching, more like intently gazing, from afar. “Look at you, you’re trying to distract yourself because you know he’s in the weight room right now. You’re all worked up and--listening to fucking Cyndi Lauper-” 

“Fuck off, she’s great.” Tony huffed. He heard Rhodey laugh on the other end.

“Dude, all’s I’m saying is that you _need_ to tell him how you feel--and soon. The sooner you get your feelings out there, the better it will be for the both of us.” A ruffling noise from the camera, Rhodey was probably moving his laptop or changing sitting positions. “I don’t know how to respond to messages telling me how hot you think he is all the time.” 

“Then I’ll just stop sending them!”

“No!” Rhodey sighed, “that’s not what I meant. I meant that you need to tell him that you like him dude. This isn’t high school, the worst he can do is say no!”

“The worst thing he can do is say no and then pick me up and fling me into a wall and break me like a punching bag-” Tony muttered.

“Steve would never do that.” Tony could just _hear_ Rhodey throw his hands up. He snorted but nodded his head in agreement. “Tony, the worst thing he can do is say no and just not talk to you for a day or something. Relax dude. Instead of sitting here arguing with you over whether you should tell him or not, I should be sitting here arguing with you over _how_ you’re going to do it.”

Tony poked his head up so that is was now within the frame of the laptop’s camera. He set the wrench down and centered his body towards the screen, now completely ignoring the broken motorcycle to the side of him. “I could just tell him now.”

“While he’s in the weight room? Sweaty and probably shirtless?” 

Tony waved his white flag, “yeah okay, what’s your idea?”

“Well,” Rhodey sat back like he was a supervillain about to unveil his evil master plan. “Knowing you, you’d want to do it somewhere in public. Probably something big and elaborate and expensive.” Tony nodded his head. “Cut that shit. Make it personal, I guess is what I’m trying to say.”

_Personal._

Tony thought it over for a second, batted different ideas across his mind, when he landed on something he thought would be most appropriate. He pulled himself, in his rolling chair, to the table that held his laptop, like that would make his plan more intimate between him and Rhodey. As he talked, Rhodey nodded his head and looked off to the side like he was trying to imagine it. Tony tapped his fingertips against the metal table when he was done speaking, Rhodey staying silent as he still thought it over.

“I like it. You should do that,” Rhodey approved.

“Is it perfect though? I want it to be perfect,” Tony huffed and laced his hands together, resting his forehead on his interlocked fingers.

“Tony it’s fine. Remember, the worst thing he can do is just say no and that can be closure enough for you to move on.” Rhodey shrugged and he was right. Tony knew he wasn’t saying he automatically would get rejected, although there was a high probability, he was just reminding him of the realistic worst case scenario. Nothing he said was meant with malicious intent. 

“Yeah okay, thanks Rhodes.”

 

**+**

 

“Awh, that’s so cute.” Steve said as he rubbed Tony’s arm. His cheeks glowed.

“Yeah well, I’m sure you have a different story since I was a blabbering idiot.” Tony kissed Steve’s cheek.

“You weren’t a blabbering idiot, you were just nervous. It’s just….I knew you were going to ask sometime. I thought I had made it pretty clear to the rest of the team that I was interested in you, I guess you or Rhodey never picked that up.” 

“I mean I know I’m oblivious,” Tony moved around a little underneath the blanket. “But yeah, Rhodey never picked it. If anything, the conversation was centered around more of what would happen if I got completely rejected than if you actually said yes.”

The memory of a conversation he’d had around that time popped into his head. “I mean people thought we were already together, it was just a matter of actually labeling ourselves.”

“Really?”

 

**+**

 

“You and Tony together yet?” Bucky said from the passenger's seat of the car.

Steve tapped sarcastically on the wheel, “not yet. He hasn’t done anything.”

“Dude,” Bucky repositioned himself in the small seat. “If Tony’s taking too long then maybe you should just ask him yourself.”

“Mmmm, I would but I still feel like he’s going to do it,” Steve said as his eyes drifted from the road to Bucky.

“You thinking on your birthday?” Bucky started flipping through the different radio stations. 

Steve shook his head, “He wouldn’t do it on my birthday. Would he?” 

“I don’t know. Knowing him, he might show up to your birthday party inside of a giant cake and pop out wearing a bedazzled suit and ask you to fucking marry him right then and there.”

“He would _not!”_ Steve chuckled and turned the wheel, the car gliding around the curve of the road. He thought it over again, “He would.”

“I’m _always_ right.”

 

**+**

 

“Pfttt,” Tony squeezed his eyes shut and rolled his head back. “I would _not._ ”

Steve squeezed his hand lovingly. “No, but the way you did was sweet and I’ll always remember it.”

Tony almost wanted to kick him but that’d throw the cover off of them and it was entirely too cold for that. So he just smiled and buried his head in Steve’s cotton shirt. “Stop being cheesy.”

“No really, I’ll always remember that night.” Steve stroked the back of Tony’s neck, Tony humming in agreement.

 

**+**

 

It’d been a day after they’d gotten back from a short mission. Quick and simple and very minimal destruction. Steve was perched on the couch, his sketchpad in his hand, when Tony walked around to catch his attention.

“Hey, I don’t know where everyone else is but I’m hungry and there’s this new mexican place a couple of blocks away. You wanna come with?” Tony tried his best to pull his usual suave and cocky attitude, but it all melted away when Steve just looked at him.

“Sure,” he smiled.

Tony smiled back and tried to look somewhere else than Steve’s glowing face, “cool." 

They ended up just walking there, the two of them walking fairly close together, although Tony made a conscious effort to put a semi-gap between him and Steve. The streets of New York were just as noisy and as busy as they were during the day, it’s just now the sky is dark. Steve had to sport a new baseball cap, since the one he used before was now recognizable by civilians. Tony pulled on his hoodie.

Tony wasn’t one for butterflies.

But Steve was always different.

The had an outdoors patio section decorated with tiny, multi-colored fairy lights. A very cute first impression. The two walked in through the glass doors, Steve holding the door open for Tony.

_What a gentleman._

The atmosphere inside was warm. Yellow and orange lights hung from the ceiling, making the place look dark but vintage and Steve was now aware that this, in fact, was a date. A painting of a woman done in black, white, red, and blue was on the main brick wall inside, a dim spotlight centered on it. Small white candles in jars were paired with a flower on each table. The music varied from the classical mariachi music to more modern, slow dancing songs just sung in Spanish.

A waitress led them to a booth in the back, the red seats squeaking. Each of them pulled out their phone and shot a text before settling back to look at each other.

 

**_Tony: i’m on the date,,_ **

 

**_Rhodey: update me as soon as it’s over_ **

 

-

 

**_Steve: I think he’s about to do it. We’re at a cute restaurant._ **

 

**_Bucky: finally!_ **

 

Tony didn’t end up asking throughout their time at the place. He’d find himself the courage for the words, formulate exactly what he was going to say, but before he could say it, the words wouldn’t make the final jump from his tongue to the air. He was convinced his vocal cords hated him. 

Steve, however, just smiled and continued to make conversation. He tried not to make Tony feel awkward in any of this but a small voice whispered in the back of his mind, _if he doesn’t do it by time we get back to the Avenger’s building, you’re doing this._

 

* * *

 

The sky was a wash of navy and if you squinted hard enough, the lights from the cars and buildings ahead could practically be stars. They started on the same route they used to get there, their disguises slipping a little more carelessly now. Tony stepped closer to Steve, the air suddenly nipping and cold.

“I...I have something to ask of you.”

“Anything,” Steve said, a gust of air rushing by.

Tony stopped his walking and held a small section of fabric on Steve’s shirt, it felt soft between his finger and thumb. The words that he couldn’t muster before, now suddenly wanted to run away, his brain blanking out completely.

He did in fact, turn into a blabbering mess.

Tony was warm in the face even if it was cold outside. He talked with his hands, which were now moving frantically to the side of him. The big ego and carefree personality he usually had vanished into the night like some metaphorical batman. 

“Well what I just mean is that I think about-” 

“Tony?” Steve asked, his lips curling to the left.

“Hmmm?” 

Steve pressed his hand into Tony’s, “what is it that you want to ask me?”

Tony took a deep breath, “will you go out with me? As in date me. As in be my boyfriend-”

“Yes.”

Tony felt the wind leave his chest, “I’m...wait what?”

“Yes,” Steve could laugh at how adorable Tony was being. Never had he seen him like this. “My answer is yes.”

Pure bliss. Tony was so excited, he didn’t know what to do with himself. Throw a party? No, think bigger. Throw a ball. No, still too small.

He stepped closer to Steve, his left hand cupping his cheek. Stubble.

“Could I kiss you?”

 

**+**

 

Steve squeezed Tony's torso, his hand messing mindlessly with the fabric at the back of his neck.

“I was so nervous. Usually I’m not but...you're just so. You.” Tony mumbled. He know he didn't exact make coherent sense, but Steve got what he was trying to say. 

“I know the feeling,” He exhaled noisily. 

Tony scoffed, “no you don't.”

Steve reached behind the couch, Tony unable to see what he was grabbing at. He lifted his body, wordlessly telling Tony to sit up. The blanket was now in the floor but neither seemed to care much.

“No,” Steve laughed lightly. “I do.” He looked back at Tony, who twisted his face in confusion. Unable to concentrate, Steve looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. What was he going to say? How was he going to say it without blabbering, like an idiot?

“Are you okay?” Tony asked, his voice a mix of sincerity and sarcasm. “Are you breaking up with me?”

That made a smile spread to Steve's face. “No, far from that actually.” He looked back to Tony and studied his face, he wanted to remember every expression. 

“Tony, you are so selfless in everything you do. You make me remember what it truly _is_ to be a hero, even if you don't see yourself as one. Your intentions and your heart is always in the right place and you don't let others cloud your judgment. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'm amazed at how long it took me to realize that.”

_Don't cry, don't cry, you can do this._

What Steve's hand was fumbling with before, was now in the between the two of them. It was a small black box, the outside a soft velvet. Inside a small gold band.

“Tony, will you marry me?”

Water started to bubble around Tony’s eye. He swore up and down he wasn't sentimental or emotional or anything of that nature.

“Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times over yes.”

Tony leaned forward, almost forgetting the box was there was it pierced into his ribs, but he didn't care. Steve’s lips were slightly chapped but soft. He smelled like lilacs and happiness and home.

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus:
> 
> Rhodey and Bucky saw each other in the halls of the Avengers building a couple days later, a smile unable to be smudged from both their faces. They exchanged a smile that only the two of them could possibly exchange. A weird mix of warm and ‘i-know-what-you-know’. 
> 
> “Something happen?” Natasha asked as she stepped into the room, her eyebrows raised at the two who seemed to be on another plane of existence.
> 
> Rhodey pursed his lips, “Tony and Steve are now engaged.”
> 
> Natasha nodded her head, a satisfied grin.
> 
> “Finally,” Bucky said.
> 
> -
> 
> Thank you for reading! You can find me [here](http://queersunflowers.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.


End file.
